Linden flow
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It is only for you to find out.
It is a very local thing.
Basswoods are very finicky about who knows what.
Yes, that is how it works in our locale as well- linden first then basswood. Neither is ready yet, it will be another week or two at least here.
Lindens in my area are done already. It has been perfect weather for foraging this spring. It rains at least once a week but sunny the rest of the time. I pulled almost 90 lbs of honey off one of my hives already. Not sure that it was the lindens since there has been a lot of everything blooming here: lindens, maples, dandelions, dutch clover, tulip trees, apples, cherries, pears, privet, blackberries, etc.
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The bugs are eating up the basswood leafs here. No bloom this year. No rain in weeks. The clover is really producing.
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Linden just started here. I hope it is good because there was zero locust, late frost took out every blossom. Looking to be clover & linden only for me.
I had scales under my hives the last few years. It looks like the schedule in my part of Hudson Valley, NY is something like:
March/April: some pollen, almost enough nectar to break even but not quite, stuff like skunk cabbage and maple blooming
May 7 -- June 1: main flow, mostly russian olive or autumn olive (I don't know the difference), watery clear nectar
June 1 -- July 1: kind of break even, with yellow sweet clover, white clover, some trees, some wild berry bushes
July 4-ish: freaky strong and short flow, no idea what it is but it hits hard and fast, theories include linden and alfalfa farms *shrug*
late July / early August: kind of break even on asters and random stuff
late August: decent flow, stinky goldenrod, milkweed, strong dark honey
September: kind of break even on asters and stuff
So it seems like there's no real "dearth" here where you'd need to feed the bees, just break-even periods between sporadic flows. I don't know much about the tree flows because I can't see the bees up there. It's much easier to notice them down near the ground.
March/April: some pollen, almost enough nectar to break even but not quite, stuff like skunk cabbage and maple blooming
May 7 -- June 1: main flow, mostly russian olive or autumn olive (I don't know the difference), watery clear nectar
June 1 -- July 1: kind of break even, with yellow sweet clover, white clover, some trees, some wild berry bushes
July 4-ish: freaky strong and short flow, no idea what it is but it hits hard and fast, theories include linden and alfalfa farms *shrug*
late July / early August: kind of break even on asters and random stuff
late August: decent flow, stinky goldenrod, milkweed, strong dark honey
September: kind of break even on asters and stuff
So it seems like there's no real "dearth" here where you'd need to feed the bees, just break-even periods between sporadic flows. I don't know much about the tree flows because I can't see the bees up there. It's much easier to notice them down near the ground.
A few links on Basswood/linden blooms
http://bees.msu.edu/basswood/
https://northernwoodlands.org/outside_story/article/trees-leaf-out-different-times
I put in the last link because of something I have noticed. In some forests I have noticed that basswood trees seem to bloom at different times over a period of a month or so. I am making an assumption that the trees are probably all related and not a diverse collection of species because that would seem to be something that was planned out or manipulated. Haven't really looked at why this seems to be the case. Could be age of trees and position in the woods or soil type and water availability. You would think that water amounts are the same until you consider swamp edge vs hilltop on sand and gravel.
Regardless, I have some locations in mind for future bee yards that have a lot of basswood trees close by.
http://bees.msu.edu/basswood/
https://northernwoodlands.org/outside_story/article/trees-leaf-out-different-times
I put in the last link because of something I have noticed. In some forests I have noticed that basswood trees seem to bloom at different times over a period of a month or so. I am making an assumption that the trees are probably all related and not a diverse collection of species because that would seem to be something that was planned out or manipulated. Haven't really looked at why this seems to be the case. Could be age of trees and position in the woods or soil type and water availability. You would think that water amounts are the same until you consider swamp edge vs hilltop on sand and gravel.
Regardless, I have some locations in mind for future bee yards that have a lot of basswood trees close by.
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I have always assumed I have many lindens around me. When googling for big leaf/small leaf linden I found images of Catalpa and they look almost alike. Can anyone explain how to tell the difference? The trees I have in the area make large masses of white flowers that look alot like Lilly of the Valley.
I've never thought they looked similar, especially when blooming, and I'm not the kind of person who can tell different kinds of oaks apart.
Catalpas have huge smooth heart-shaped leaves and solid flowers that are upright, above the stem.
Lindens have medium-sized leaves that are slightly serrated and small "frilly" flowers that hang down, below the stem.
Hope that helps.
Catalpas have huge smooth heart-shaped leaves and solid flowers that are upright, above the stem.
Lindens have medium-sized leaves that are slightly serrated and small "frilly" flowers that hang down, below the stem.
Hope that helps.
I can't tell the same about basswood, they are not as fragrant, it seems.
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I will take some pictures later today. I'm leaning toward Catalpa. Leaf pictures online look very similar. The white flowers are what makes me think not Linden.
They are all over & blooming right now. I had never heard of Catalpa before yesterday.
They are all over & blooming right now. I had never heard of Catalpa before yesterday.
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Dozens of these all around in the woods and in town. Catalpa?
![20200620_120831.jpg]()
![20200620_120856.jpg]()
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Almost definitely Catalpa.
Definitely not anything close to lindens.
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